Sacramento, California – California Attorney General Rob Bonta successfully obtained a preliminary injunction to prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, from accessing millions of Americans’ private data.
This ruling, issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, represents a significant step forward in protecting individuals’ personal data.
The injunction was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Bonta and supported by a coalition of 19 attorneys general.
The legal action seeks to prevent DOGE from obtaining private data held by the US Treasury Department, such as social security numbers and bank account information for millions of Americans.
Attorney General Bonta expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, emphasising the importance of protecting Californians’ privacy from what he calls the Trump administration’s overreach.
“We are pleased the court granted our request to further halt the Elon Musk-led DOGE from accessing millions of Americans’ private and sensitive data,” said Bonta, the attorney general.
“Californians can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the California Department of Justice is going to the mat for them and standing up against the Trump Administration’s chilling overreach of power.”
The dispute began on February 7, when the coalition filed the lawsuit, shortly after reports surfaced that DOGE had gained unprecedented access to the Treasury’s payment systems. This access could reveal highly sensitive information critical to American citizens’ personal privacy and financial security.
The US Treasury Department, which is managed by the Bureau of Fiscal Service (BFS), processes trillions of dollars in government payments.
These funds help with critical services like Medicare, Social Security, healthcare, daycare, veterans’ benefits, and more. The integrity and security of these systems are critical to the operation of various federal programmes upon which millions of Americans rely.
The provisional injunction serves as a stopgap, preventing DOGE from gaining access while the legal process is ongoing. It emphasises the urgency and significance of potential damage to public security and privacy by tracking a temporary restraining order issued by the court just hours after the lawsuit was filed.
This legal challenge contends that, including DOGE members, the Trump administration lacks the constitutional, statutory, or regulatory authority to grant such access to political appointees or special government employees.
With this preliminary injunction indicating a watershed moment in the ongoing efforts to ensure that governmental authority is used within the bounds of the law, thereby protecting the privacy and rights of all Americans, the fight for data privacy and government transparency continues.
The office of Attorney General Bonta has confirmed its intention to closely monitor the situation and respond as needed to protect the public from any unauthorised access to their personal information.
